arts

Article
From Ornament to Building Material: Revisiting the Aesthetics
and Function of Green Architecture
Laura Daglio 1 and Stamatina Kousidi 2, *

1 Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering, Politecnico di Milano,

20133 Milan, Italy
2 Department of Architecture and Urban Studies, Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
* Correspondence: [email protected]

Abstract: Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, we have been witnessing a persistent pres-
ence of greenery in architecture, in its most extensive application, with diverse ranges of technological
sophistication, fruition, maintenance, form, and expression. The article focuses on the current use of
vegetation in architecture, examining its expressive, artistic, and spatial qualities beyond environ-
mental performances. Accordingly, the innovative interpretation of greenery is addressed within the
current resurfacing debate over ornament, its aesthetic and semantic outcome, and its interaction
with the inhabitants. Attention is directed at identifying recent design approaches towards nature
and artifice, from the building interior to its adjacent urban space, with the aim of highlighting novel
paths towards the articulation of spatial and technological systems, opening up multidisciplinary
research towards new concepts of symbiosis between the natural and the artificial.

Keywords: ornament; tectonics; sustainability aesthetics; architecture-nature integration

1. Introduction
Since the first decade of the twenty-first century, sustainable design practices have
successfully experimented with the integration of vegetation in architecture in its most
Citation: Daglio, Laura, and extensive applications, showing a rich, innovative and ongoing phenomenology which
Stamatina Kousidi. 2023. From ranges from the constructional modes of integration to the degree of technological sophis-
Ornament to Building Material: tication, to the level of fruition, to the solutions for maintenance, to form and expression.
Revisiting the Aesthetics and This constantly increasing number of built examples employs greenery not only due to
Function of Green Architecture. Arts its diverse functions and environmental performances but also because of its decorative
12: 12. https://doi.org/10.3390/ potential and cultural meanings, revealing the vast differences of contemporary vegetated
arts12010012 architecture from its traditionally rooted concepts and understanding.
Academic Editor: Michelle Facos On the one hand, it has in fact been considered as a potentially viable response to con-
temporary environmental issues aimed at reducing the impact of building construction on
Received: 23 November 2022 the natural world and at regulating the effects of human activities on natural environments.
Revised: 24 December 2022
The number of studies and experimentations into the potential of “green” architecture has
Accepted: 5 January 2023
progressively increased, setting out to demonstrate and evaluate the benefits of vegetation
Published: 11 January 2023
at the building scale concerning comfort through the hygrothermal, acoustic and filter
functions of the envelope, the air quality of interiors, the physiological and psychological
advantages on health and human well-being, recently highlighted as biophilia (Kellert
Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.
1993, 2018; Beatley 2016). In addition, several research advancements underscore the
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. significant environmental and ecological impact that can derive from greened buildings
This article is an open access article in the urban context through the Urban Heat Island mitigation, the water runoff control,
distributed under the terms and the implementation of biodiversity, the restorative, healing effect on inhabitants, the pol-
conditions of the Creative Commons lutants absorption and soil consumption alleviation. This growing body of research has
Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// contributed to raising awareness about the manifold functions of greenery, based on the
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ contemporary assumption of measurable objective quality, as a tool in the quest to boost
4.0/). the efficiency of the building envelope and indoor thermal comfort.

Arts 2023, 12, 12. https://doi.org/10.3390/arts12010012 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/arts

Arts 2023, 12, 12 2 of 19

On the other hand, in addition to the environmental benefits, the decorative, experi-
ential effects have played a significant role, displaying a new contemporary aesthetic as
related to the cultural meaning of the natural and artificial integration. Such decorative
application in the architectural project is consistent with an increased interest in the no-
torious debate on function and ornament which resurfaced at the beginning of the new
millennium and was showcased by numerous architectural design projects, publications,
conferences and exhibitions (Fabi and Piovene 2020). In fact, the naturalistic element in
ornamentation—rooted and diversely interpreted through the succession of styles and
languages in the history of both Western and Eastern architecture cultures—has recently
gained momentum. It not only takes inspiration from the patterns and geometry of plants
in a synthesis of organic and inorganic growth, as in the famous modern studies by Owen
Jones and Louis Sullivan (see Jones 2016; de Wit 1986) but literally plays with the densities,
colours and shapes of the living material. Whether it is “inseparable from the façade that
it animates”, or can be easily peeled off, vegetation sustains the innovative character and
function of ornament in contemporary architecture (Picon 2013a, p. 133).
Hence, the present paper focuses on the current use of vegetation as an architectural
material, examining its expressive, artistic and spatial qualities beyond the mere, albeit
many and significant, performances. Attention is directed at investigating the recent design
approaches towards the natural and artificial relation at the building scale, taking for
granted the resulting environmental benefits, albeit diverse and varied, with the aim of
highlighting possible interpretations of deeper and more thorough natural and artificial
combinations.
Therefore, the research questions that we aim to respond to are: which are the contem-
porary modes of integration of living nature in architectural design? Can we contemplate
ongoing approaches beyond the mere decorative and eco-efficient level, opening up novel
paths to the articulation of structural, spatial and technological systems and to the explo-
ration and enhancement of the integrated combination of the natural with the artificial?
Accordingly, the paper is articulated into two interrelated parts. In the first part, the
paper, addressing the first research question, sets out to outline the current interpretation of
nature and artificial integration, enlarging the perspective beyond the technical properties
of the material highlighting how its use enhances the novel function of ornament in archi-
tecture. This analysis is carried out upon a literature review of books, articles and papers
covering issues related to sustainability aesthetics, nature and architecture integration, con-
temporary ornament and green buildings. It showcases the key theoretical contributions
in contemporary architectural literature and criticism, with the aim of contributing to the
current state-of-the-art and of suggesting intersections between theories and projects which
have allowed for the development of this research area. This first part examines how the
innovative character of the contemporary application of vegetation is connoted, on the one
hand, by a strong representational and symbolic character to transmit soothing consolatory
narratives towards the issues of contemporary society, and on the other hand, by its real
living nature to engage with, which is thus able to distribute lessons and to trigger positive
behavioural change towards sustainability. Moreover, through the selection of illustrative
architectural projects, it describes the shifting aesthetics of nature’s representation to reveal
how the messages conveyed are consistent with the rapid transformations of the evolving
sustainability culture, although revisiting historically rooted languages through innovative
meanings.
The second part addresses the second research question, employing a qualitative case
study methodology. In fact, a selection of contemporary architectural design projects of
completed buildings are discussed, with the aim of tracing their origins in earlier modernist
projects and analogies between ongoing practices which involve both spatial and social
innovations. In so doing, the paper emphasizes the need to formulate a new critical
interpretative framework of the diverse ways in which vegetation can contribute to the
design project, marking a distinct paradigm shift in architectural practice and research,
disclosing possible paths for future development.
Arts 2023, 12, 12 3 of 19

Against this backdrop, the paper proceeds to identify contemporary modes of archi-
tectural integration of ornamental vegetation, examining how the latter has served not
as an additional layer but as a constitutive component of the built artifact. In this view,
three key design approaches are proposed, rooted in significant references in the twentieth-
and twenty-first century architecture, to disclose ongoing tectonic, spatial, and multiscalar
experimentations which employ vegetation in its diverse functional and cultural potentials,
as a real building material. Finally, the paper argues that these approaches blend natural
and mineral materials into a new synthesis, engendering novel behaviours in architectural
design to overcome traditional boundaries between indoor and outdoor spaces, private
and public spheres, urban and architectural scales. The disclosed design paths embed
potentials to investigate new definitions of the changing anthropized environment towards
concepts of symbiosis between the natural and the artificial.

2. Background: On the Integration of Architecture with Nature:

A Contemporary Ornament
Architecture has consistently drawn upon nature in search of new conceptual and
symbolic models; from the total replacement of the sculptured ornament with natural
objects, in their ability to fascinate us, as suggested in the studies of Jean-Louis Durand
(Oechslin 1981), to the translation of these objects into building materials and ornamenta-
tion, in Gottfried Semper’s theory, which reversed the hierarchy between embellishment
and structure, the entanglement of architecture and nature has influenced new definitions
of the built artifact. It has, moreover, generated novel approaches to structure; tracing the
origins of the tectonic principles of Gothic cathedrals in the architecture of the woods has
suggested, for instance, an interchange between artificial and natural objects which goes
beyond issues of construction logic and refers to the “poetic and experiential qualities” of
built objects, as “with the loss of the actual forest there came a desire to retain something of
the forest by Transposing it in the architecture of cities” (VanderGoot 2018, p. 46).
This shift echoed in modernist projects, which sought analogies between natural
objects, as singular elements or in their accumulation, and continues to live in the present
day, when contemporary architects have become growingly interested through their work in
“the hidden geometry of nature, a spiritual principle and not primarily the outer appearance
of nature” (Herzog 1988). Today, in the light of new technologies and their influence on
reconceptualizing architectural structure through a rethinking of its relationship to/with
nature, we are prompted to scrutinize the integration of architecture and the living material,
exploring how the latter may serve not as a prosthetic layer but as a constitutive component
of the building structure: to examine, that is, how greenery, introduced or interpreted in its
full aesthetic potential, can stimulate novel interpretations of architectural ornament, new
connections between structure, space, and program.

2.1. Ornamental Nature between Representation and Augmented Function

In the image-oriented market of contemporary society, severely affected by the climate
change crisis and environmentalist concerns, the living nature integrated and supported by
construction acquires a “symbolic or even fictional character” (Picon 2014, p. 173); it has
the potential of unfolding the soothing narrative of its return in urban environments where
the perception of its absence is recognized as a problem. The integration of growing nature
and architecture, in line with traditional as well as innovative ornament, acquires a strong
symbolic value and different levels of meaning; this material offers and shows a potential
for representation.
As the green cladding of a building immediately allows for the identification of an
environmentally sound architecture, vegetation represents itself directly, reaching out to
communicate with a very broad public—as per the sought-after potential of ornamentation
through history (Heathcote 2015)—while efficiently conveying the identity and brand
image of a given building as environmentally friendly, leaving the role of showcasing
economic status and prestige to technological sophistication and awe-inspiring solutions.
Arts 2023, 12, 12 4 of 19

In fact, within the longstanding disciplinary debate lamenting a still immature (Hey-
mann 2012) or too eclectic language for sustainability, the use of living materials can be
considered as a means of attaining a “visible green” code (Hosey 2012), the most recog-
nizable and familiar evidence of sustainable design in architecture—literally (Brownell
2018).
The importance of the semantic potential has been even more emphasized in recent
years, as the challenge for sustainability aesthetics has shifted from the focus on the
beautiful to the inclusion of the good (Shapshay and Tenen 2018), that is, the understanding
of the less-consuming architecture in its lifecycle as a means of its appreciation. Yet, as the
expected “combination of reason and seduction [showing] that reduction in consumption
does not necessarily mean a reduction in quality” (Sauerbruch and Hutton 2011, p. 43) is
more difficult to achieve and recognize in recent carbon-free architecture, the knowledge
of its environmentally friendly performance could be sufficient to reap a higher success
(Heymann 2017).
However, in its representational character, nature can be introduced mainly, sometimes
solely, as fiction. In fact, since the initial start of the “greening” architectural trend, criticism
emerged concerning the marketing use of the “natural” message, frequently combined
with the concealment of real estate interests on building and urban scales. This critique
legitimized practices of greenwashing, raising doubts about the actual environmental
impact of the new building.
Beyond the conveyed narratives, integrated nature provides a new mode of relation
between architecture and its viewers, based on the haptic as well as on the visual and, in
this case, also on the olfactory perception of materiality. This results in a single contin-
uum providing both the immersive and superficial conditions of modern ornament (Picon
2013b)—an easily obtained treatment through this material which can have different thick-
nesses from cladding to double façade to the liminal space of the envelope. Accordingly,
with the current discourse on the function of the ornament (Moussavi and Kubo 2006), it
not only shares the common notion of ‘affect,’ in the spirit of Gilles Deleuze, but allows for
a richer complexity that the subject experiences in contact with the real literal network-like
ecology of organic life, hence, opening up a range of different issues and interpretations
regarding the relationship between humans and nature.
The direct interaction with and the fruition of greenery by users over time, whether
in the private, semi-public, or public spaces they inhabit or frequent, enhances the spatial
experience beyond the performative and the decorative. The consistent maintenance
activities involved reproduce the more general notion of concern and taking care, which
recalls the concept of nature as a healer and the cure of nature (vegetation and animals),
respectively.
Accordingly, the narrative of nature also has the power “to convey lessons” and “to
reconnect with reflection and knowledge,” with which contemporary ornamentation has
yet to engage (Picon 2013b, p. 154). It raises the awareness of the strong educational
message of actively belonging to the wide ecology, thus awakening responsibilities and
commitment to environmental protection, triggering a so-yearned behavioural change
towards the environment, merging to a certain extent aesthetic appreciation with cognitive
emotional responses such as awe and love (see Coburn et al. 2019, pp. 133–45; Kellert 2005;
Ulrich 1983, pp. 85–125).
On the other hand, as a more indirect result, it can stage shared, community-based
activities, cultural and multigenerational exchanges related to social and economic aspects,
in terms of saved low-tech construction and maintenance costs, in addition to the recognized
environmental sustainability benefits.
The role of the user in the integration of architecture with nature acquires a central stage
in recent explorations on the modes and meanings of reconnecting people and communities
with nature. User participation and social engagement emerge as part of a growing
discourse that goes beyond the merely operational values related to the usability of nature in
architecture, addressing the potential of greenery to stimulate issues of human participation,
Arts 2023, 12, 12 5 of 19

interaction, and social engagement. From within a context that sees attention focusing
on the human–nature connection with regard to its cognitive benefits and improvements
in physical, mental, and emotional well-being, the educational and social use of nature
in architecture therefore becomes increasingly important. As David Orr has suggested,
issues of education and human intention are central, as design for an ecological transition
entails “the careful meshing of human purposes with the larger patterns and flows of the
natural world and the study of those patterns and flows to inform human actions” (Orr
1994, p. 104).

2.2. The Shifting Aesthetics of Contemporary Ornamental Nature

The language of contemporary integrated nature reinterprets the rational and pic-
turesque traditional repertoires, while introducing new meanings and new iconologies.
In the initial attempt at integrating vegetation in the façade design of buildings, a
formal approach mainly aims at reconducting the decorative potential of the living material
within the rational geometrical order of construction, thus revealing a similar style to
classical gardening (Gaetano Pesce, Organic building, Osaka, 1993; Kengo Kuma & Asso-
ciates, Z 58 office Bldg., Shanghai, 2006; as well as Patrick Blanc’s living pictures). Patterns,
symmetries, and a re-proposition of the topiary art, which continue to inspire new projects
and proposals, display a commonplace concept of preference for manicured green, a degree
of artificiality in design and maintenance, and direct coincidence between the luxuriant and
the ecologically productive. In addition, a pervasive use of green cladding to completely
replace the perception of construction materials has represented an extensive field of ar-
chitectural design research so as to raise critiques of representing a disciplinary step back,
also expressed through the concept of verdolatry (Roger 1997). Beyond the architectural
design doubts, it has also been considered as a facile maquillage “to enhance mediocre
buildings and foster the claim of architects that they have produced a green-ecological
building” (Ricci 2020) but also “as a strategy for concealing the potentially controversial or
unwelcome contents of a building through a contrived naturalistic simulation” referring to
“a concealing and aestheticizing nature, a genuine vegetal camouflage, an exhibitionism
rather than an art of gardens” (Repishti 2008, p. 39).
In some cases, exhibitionism takes over; style and false performance are combined
“when architects break the balance between the performativity of nature and its symbolical
value” (Peña and Cucuzzella 2021), with a gestural forced language to raise possible
comparisons with Mannerism, or when “the inflated vision of these ‘gardens’, mired
in maintenance fees, a narrative of control and their ‘One per cent’ residents represents
more portfolio addition than ecological triumph” (Syed 2021, p. 79). The perceived
ethical message prevails over the understanding of architecture as an integral whole. The
green ornamentation, instrumentalized as an autonomous auto-referential advertisement
and separated from the overall content, provides designers and inhabitants with the
consolatory notion of nature as salvage, healing, and repair from the self-inflicted damages
of urbanization and construction, apparently releasing them from any environmental
responsibility.
A recent shift in the greenery aesthetics can be identified towards the notion of spon-
taneity, questioning the artificial (high tech) vs. the apparently unplanned natural appear-
ance (sylvan). Recent studies about the restorative rather than the aesthetic preference to
moderately planted natural environments confirm that people are increasingly accepting
messier urban green areas (Hoyle et al. 2017). In fact, although a significant reference
in F. Hundertwasser’s work can be found concerning his idea of the tree tenant and the
implied personal philosophy about the relation between art, architecture, and the viewer,
the advance of spontaneity, of the “weedy, invasive, or unkempt nature,” has started to appear
in current debates on architectural design aesthetics, since from an ecological standpoint,
“messy can be good [and] spontaneous vegetation as a form of ornament makes a statement”
(VanderGoot 2018, p. 253).
Arts 2023, 12, 12 6 of 19

This spontaneous reappearance, in reality, can also become a fiction in contemporary

design, playing with the picturesque idea of the ruined structure colonized by nature and
the nineteenth-century park design, thus establishing continuity with a traditional genre.
These changing attitudes about integrated vegetation can perhaps be envisioned as
the result of a revised urban culture. As landscape urbanists (Waldheim 2016; Mostafavi
and Doherty 2010) reject the traditional opposition between city and nature to include
more hybrid, engineered even, infrastructure-based design solutions at an urban scale,
the consequences of the economic crises on shrinking cities and the growth of wastelands
colonized by new spontaneous nature have triggered an emerging reconsideration of
abandoned sites as a new terrain for ecological reconnection. Recent projects therefore
point to the emergence of a new architectural language, oscillating between fallowness
and wildness, humans and nature, productive and unproductive land (Jakob + MacFar-
lane/Gilles Clément/Coloco, Jardin du tiers-paysage Submarine Base, St Nazaire, 2009–11;
Agence ter/Henri Bava, Zollverein Park, Essen, 2003) (Chieffalo and Smachylo 2019). How-
ever, while the influence of unkempt vegetation has yet to take command in the ordinary
iconology of contemporary vegetated architecture, albeit being more recognizable in the
design of landscapes, public spaces, and infrastructures, the new theme of forest aesthetics—
referencing significant historical episodes in the history of architecture—focuses on the
interconnected systemic character of trees as an urban model to “perform biologically” (Van-
derGoot 2018, p. 5) and as an inspiration for design, hence striking a more direct chord in
the collective imagination.
More recently, forests and fascination with the wilderness are evidence of an emerging
changed awareness, adopting diverse types of juxtaposed potted trees or vertically stacked
groves (Koichi Takada Architects, Urban Forest, Brisbane, 2020; Vo Trong Nghia Architects,
FPT University Building, Hanoi, 2016) to enrich or simply embellish the still recognizable
mineral facades of the buildings.
However, notions of time, growth, and process hold a significant role. Once, such
concepts were mainly associated with the hybridization between natural and built compo-
nents to highlight a symbiotic decay which intensified the process of a perpetual re-forming
between the artistic and the natural element (Christian de Portzamparc, Tour Verte, Noisiel,
1971–74; BBPR, Residential complex in via Cavalieri, Milan, 1968–70; Berrel Berrel Kräutler,
Water reservoir, Basel, 2008). It cast attention on processes of weathering through which
“nature re-forms the ‘finished’ art work” (Leatherbarrow 1993, p. 64), as well as on the
communicative role of patina, as the incursion of nature “softens the artificiality of new
surfaces through plant growth and other natural alterations, enlivening them and linking
surfaces with one another, as well as with the surroundings, through unifying influences”
(Janson and Tigges 2014, p. 218). At times, an excess of patina can detract from the clarity of
surfaces and contours, depriving forms of detail so that the effect of a spatial design loses
its differentiation, interfering with essential aspects of architectural expression, for example,
when facade vegetation masks the characteristic appearance of the building through a
pronounced ‘coating’. Although the romantic aesthetic of ruins can be perhaps recognized,
it is an expressive style that acquires a different meaning and symbolism related to the
natural and the artificial in contemporary culture.
Finally, these shifting approaches are invariably related to the timescale: a distinctive
yet autonomous aspect of vegetation compared to conventional building materials. When
considering vegetation as an integrated material and not as a mere decorative component
of the building envelope or technological systems, the continuous transformation of living
plants, due to their growth stages or seasonal variations, can be interpreted as a source of
possible expression—in terms of architectural language—and as a further changeable layer
to shear in the building concept (Brand 1994)—in terms of construction. While the set-up
features of greenery—due to its sprouting and blooming processes and its colour changes—
were considered broad sources of reference, in the early twenty-first century projects, a more
static dimension is apparent in the integration of adult trees for embellishment reasons in
more recent buildings; planned to be grown in nurseries until they reach the required size,
Arts 2023, 12, 12 7 of 19

they are planted and frozen in dimension through continuous pruning, almost as negating
the actual natural process of thriving and developing vegetation.
As the ornamental use of vegetation in architectural design has the power to convey
messages and perform a combined aesthetical and ethical function, albeit not without
problems, its integration in the building design depends on a more thorough understanding
of its interaction potentials at different scales.

3. Contemporary Modes of Integration

In the following section, a classification of the possible modes of integration of the
natural material in the architectural project is proposed through the selection and analysis
of case studies to disclose possible approaches for spatial design and the relationship
between building and urban context.

3.1. The Tectonic Integration: From Decorative to Liminal Space

The first approach is consistent with the recent specialized focus on building envelope
design, on its filtering performance, and as a surface to support the novel expression of
ornament in architecture to “engage with the urban setting,” finding “symbolic communi-
cation” in a “multicultural and increasingly cosmopolitan society” (Moussavi and Kubo
2006, p. 7), with significant efforts and research paths aimed at integrating vegetation as a
layer of the enclosure.
In the first experimentations, the surface value of vegetation prevailed, combining
the effect of the “green over grey” motto with a monolithic out-of-scale object (Renzo
Piano Building Workshop, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, 2000; Il Vulcano
Buono, Nola, 2007), composing contemporary and more conventionally clad volumes
(Mario Cucinella Architects, Ex Ducati, Rimini, 2006; Venhoeven CS, Sportplaza Mercator,
Amsterdam, 2006), and integrating two-dimensional, pictorial or bas relief, screens after the
configuration of the colors and densities of plants (Enrique Browne & Associates, Consorcio
office Bldg., Conception, 2004; Jean Nouvel/Patrick Blanc, Musée du Quai Branly, Paris,
2004). Precedents for this phenomenon can be retraced in projects such as the Siedlung
Halen by Atelier 5 (Bern, 1961) (Figure 1), the Paul Rudolph house (23 Beekman Place,
NY, 1977) and the earlier project Villa Meyer by Le Corbusier (unbuilt, 1925–26), in which
Arts 2023, 12, x FOR PEER REVIEW 8 of 20
sylvan nature was an integral part of the roof, envisioned to consume completely the built
elements.

Figure1.
Figure 1. Atelier
Atelier 5,
5, Siedlung
Siedlung Halen,
Halen,Bern,
Bern,1955-61.
1955-61. Courtesy
Courtesy of
of ©
©Atelier
Atelier5.
5.

Significantly,
Significantly,the
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were especially to the development of vertical
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wall as well as reducing the maintenance and load issues of green roofs. High-tech solutions
have been investigated and developed (Gissen 2003; Dunnett and Kingsbury 2008; Cities Alive
2016; Giacomello 2020) by designers and the industry, enlarged to include the plant nursery
sector, with a particular emphasis on the delivery of performative products and components
Arts 2023, 12, 12 8 of 19

as reducing the maintenance and load issues of green roofs. High-tech solutions have been
investigated and developed (Gissen 2003; Dunnett and Kingsbury 2008; Cities Alive 2016;
Giacomello 2020) by designers and the industry, enlarged to include the plant nursery sector,
with a particular emphasis on the delivery of performative products and components which
move away from traditional applications and autonomous, low-maintenance solutions.
This type of integration mainly reveals a prevailing technological approach. Thereby,
the notion of the “green machine aesthetic” has been introduced to highlight the exploitation
of forested façades as mechanical systems for comfort; a design approach which, on the
one hand, plays with the rhetorical message of living in contact and in a community with
nature, and, on the other, interprets the façade greenery as a high technological device,
managed by experts through sophisticated systems, releasing tenants and inhabitants
from any concern, maintenance and, in the case of the Bosco Verticale, even ownership.
Through an Enlightenment conception, such an attitude of detachment and estrangement
between humans and nature can be recognized as a one of the legacies of the Modern
movement. Significant examples reveal the process of estrangement in the relationship
between building and outdoor nature “that can be seen through windows, that cross
through a hole in a wall, that climb the walls of a patio or drop leaves onto a glass roof”
(Muñoz 2022, p. 12) deployed for climate control or for pleasure purposes (Roesler 2019).
However, it may be further traced in the ambiguity, in the multiplicity of meanings, in
the mediatory function even of the living material ornament, pointing to a possible path
that can be envisaged to transcend the excesses of hyperfunctionalism (Nicolin 2008) as
one of the features of the aesthetics of architectural design for sustainability.
Accordingly, a different application to enrich the building enclosure conceives vegetal
components as an integral part (liminal vertical surface). It involves practices that adopt
an approach towards the “design of surface [which] is blended with the very essence of
architecture in a way that radically departs from the position where the building envelope
is seen as an additive, redundant drapery” (Lee and Holzheu 2011, p. 133) and becomes
an integral part of the spatial composition, influencing typological advancements both on
spatial–functional and environmental levels. Here, the building envelope acquires depth,
becomes stratified, and contains additional living spaces. It emerges as a space-containing
double façade, envisioned as a cavity space inhabited by humans, animals, and plants.
The project by Lacaton Vassal and Druot for the adaptive renovation of 530 dwellings
in Bordeaux (2016) is telling of this approach: It sees the incorporation of flexible, adaptable,
typologically non-defined spaces, characterized by accentuated natural features, in the
existing building structure. The project aspires to evolve high-density dwellings based
on limited footprints where “the necessary overlay will lead to new typologies and a
mix of programs and qualities, with vegetation, existing trees or forests” (Oswalt and
Vassal 2019). It features the ‘layering’ of the building envelope into transparent, corrugated
polycarbonate panels, large, glazed doors, solar curtains, and spacious winter gardens, in
line with earlier design practices (Tetrarc, Boréal, Nantes, 2011; Lacaton & Vassal Architectes,
Cité manifeste, Mulhouse, 2005).
In a similar vein, the KMC Office Tower project in Hyderabad (2012) by Rahul Mehro-
tra Architects (Figure 2) puts into action architecture’s potential “to create immersive
environments that reinforce the feeling that human action can be meaningful” (Picon 2020,
p. 143). The permeable double-skin façade of the building has a dual function: to mitigate
the effects of the local climate in the building interior and to reinforce social connections.
Through the maintenance of the vertical garden, integrated into the outer layer of the
building, the project envisions bringing together social strata which would have otherwise
remained ‘invisible’ to one another, prompting the definition of architecture’s agency as
“the creation of situations that can either reinforce or disrupt the usual dividing lines in
society” (Picon 2020, p. 148).
 (Picon 2020, p. 143). The permeable double-skin façade of the building has a dual function:
to mitigate the effects of the local climate in the building interior and to reinforce social
connections. Through the maintenance of the vertical garden, integrated into the outer
layer of the building, the project envisions bringing together social strata which would
have otherwise remained ‘invisible’ to one another, prompting the definition of
Arts 2023, 12, 12 9 of 19
architecture’s agency as “the creation of situations that can either reinforce or disrupt the
usual dividing lines in society” (Picon 2020, p. 148).

Figure2.
Figure 2. Rahul
Rahul Mehrotra
Mehrotra Architects,
Architects,KMC
KMCOffice
OfficeTower,
Tower,Hyderabad,
Hyderabad,India,
India,2012.
2012.Courtesy
Courtesyof of
©©
RMA Architects.
RMA Architects.

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historyarchitecture.
architecture.At At
the turn of the twenty-first century, projects such as the installation by SITE
the turn of the twenty-first century, projects such as the installation by SITE for the Museum for the
Museum
of of Islamic
Islamic Arts (Doha, Arts
1997),(Doha, 1997),
the Ricola the Ricola
Marketing Marketing
Office by Herzog Office
and de byMeuron
Herzog(Laufen,
and de
Meuron (Laufen, 1997–99) (Figure 3), the Château-le-Lez by Edouard
1997–99) (Figure 3), the Château-le-Lez by Édouard François (Montpellier, 2000) and the Francois
(Montpellier,
I’m lost in Paris2000) andbythe
project I’m lost(Paris,
R&Sie(n) in Paris project
2008), by as
as well R&Sie(n)
the more(Paris,
recent2008), as well as
Co-Occupancy
the more recent
prototype (2018)Co-Occupancy
by Joyce Hwang, prototype
blended(2018)
the by Joycewith
façade Hwang, blended
nature. In thethefirst
façade
case,with
in
nature. In the building
particular, first case,exterior
in particular, the building
‘dissolves’ exterior
into a public ‘dissolves’
garden through into
“a aseries
publicof garden
lateral
walls that pass from inside to outside becoming an intrinsic part of the exhibition experience,
and a sequence of undulating roof planes that create dramatic sculptural interiors with
varied ceiling heights” (Wines 2000, p. 114). The juxtaposition of the translucent outer
layer of architecture with greenery leads to “a total fusion of architecture, exhibition spaces,
communications technology, and landscape” (Ibid). In the latter, the building exterior
becomes “a thickened membrane for animal occupancy;” it is conceived as a habitat for
wildlife species in the context of built environments, suggesting “new spatial, visual and
tactile ways to reconsider our constructed environment” (Hwang 2019, p. 76).
Conversely, in the first half of the twentieth century, several projects have explicitly
engaged hybrids between green space and housing. Projects such as Luigi Figini and Gino
Pollini’s Casa Elettrica installation for the IV Triennale di Monza (1930) (Figure 4) and Mies
van der Rohe’s Tugendhat house (1929–30) represent modernist traces of the evolution of
the glasshouse from a place of preservation and aesthetic experience to an incubator of a
new approach to spaces appropriate for human habitation after the ‘symbiosis’ of humans
and plants (Schoenefeldt 2008).1 On the other hand, Le Corbusier’s Immeubles-villas
(unbuilt, 1922) and Piero Bottoni and Mario Pucci’s Garden House in QT8 (1945), through
the incorporation of gardens in the exterior surface of the building, perhaps articulate best
the blending of green and dwelling space which, although never realized, have been pivotal
in promoting new modes of reconciling man with nature.
 the glasshouse from a place of preservation and aesthetic experience to an incubator of a
new approach to spaces appropriate for human habitation after the ‘symbiosis’ of humans
and plants (Schoenefeldt 2008).1 On the other hand, Le Corbusier’s Immeubles-villas
(unbuilt, 1922) and Piero Bottoni and Mario Pucci’s Garden House in QT8 (1945), through
the incorporation of gardens in the exterior surface of the building, perhaps articulate best
Arts 2023, 12, 12 10 of 19
the blending of green and dwelling space which, although never realized, have been
pivotal in promoting new modes of reconciling man with nature.

Figure 3.
Figure 3. Herzog
Herzog &
and
dede Meuron,
Meuron, Ricola
Ricola Marketing
Marketing Office, Laufen,
Building, Laufen, Switzerland,
Switzerland, 1997–99.
1997–99. Courtesy
Photo ©
Arts 2023, 12, x FOR PEER REVIEW Margherita Spiluttini. Margherita Spiluttini Fotoarchiv, Architekturzentrum Wien. 11 of 20
of © Architekturzentrum Wien, Collection. Photo by Margherita Spiluttini.

Figure4.4.Luigi
Figure LuigiFigini
Figiniand
andGino
GinoPollini,
Pollini,“Casa
La Casa Elettrica
elettrica” pavilion,
pavilion, VI Triennale
IV Triennale di Milano,
di Monza, Italy,Milan,
1930.
Italy, 1936. Courtesy of © Triennale Milano – Archivio fotografico.
Courtesy of © Triennale Milano—Archivi. Photo by Girolamo Bombelli.

Following this
Following this line
line of
of design
design research,
research, the
the integration
integration of
of vegetation
vegetation in in the
thebuilding
building
enclosure suggests a rethinking of the architectural envelope
enclosure suggests a rethinking of the architectural envelope as as a multifunctional system.
Such a system, on the one hand, merges the typological exploration of the
Such a system, on the one hand, merges the typological exploration of the external cavity external cavity
wall in
wall in hosting
hosting ancillary or or intermediate
intermediatespaces,
spaces,organizing
organizingandandimproving
improvingthe layout
the of
layout
thethe
of building, informed
building, informed by the contemporary
by the contemporary ornamental narratives,
ornamental and benefitting
narratives, from
and benefitting
the augmented
from the augmentedfruition implied
fruition by vegetation.
implied On the
by vegetation. On other hand,
the other it can
hand, combine
it can combinethe
diverse
the environmental
diverse environmental performances
performances of of
greenery
greenery with
withthe
therest
restof
of the
the façade layers
layers to
to
better articulate its filtering functions and manage the relationship between indoor and
better articulate its filtering functions and manage the relationship between indoor and
outdoor spaces, also in terms of natural lighting and view control. This enriched enclosure
can therefore trigger the revised setting of the adjacent interior spaces and an enhanced
dialogue with the building’s surrounding urban or natural context.

3.2. The Spatial Distribution Integration: From Decorative to Inhabitable Space

Arts 2023, 12, 12 11 of 19

outdoor spaces, also in terms of natural lighting and view control. This enriched enclosure
can therefore trigger the revised setting of the adjacent interior spaces and an enhanced
dialogue with the building’s surrounding urban or natural context.

3.2. The Spatial Distribution Integration: From Decorative to Inhabitable Space

The second approach revolves around landscape-based interventions in the interior
of architecture, beyond the mere decoration and the enhancement of indoor comfort. In
exploring new interfaces between architectural and landscape features, these interventions
revise the character of spatial distribution, transgressing inside and outside, artificial
and natural, served and servant spaces (Baker 2018). The intangible-experiential and
physiological-environmental aspects of architectural spaces are here prioritized with the
aim of enhancing the relationship between program, space, and use.
For example, in the recent adaptive renovation project for the PC Caritas in Melle (2016)
by Architecten de Vylder Vinck Taillieu (Figure 5), greenery is an integral component of the
spatial composition: the notion of exteriority in the architecture’s interior is “heightened by
the planting of trees in the center of the building,” whereas a series of glasshouses, scattered
Arts 2023, 12, x FOR PEER REVIEW 12 of 20
across its surface, suggest that the “fragmentary elements” may add up to something
potentially functional” (Murphy 2018). The alternation between enclosed and open green
spaces influences the perception of the building as an empty shell surrounding a garden,
aemphasizing
garden, emphasizing the importance
the importance of threshold
of threshold spaces (Hailey
spaces (Hailey 2021) and2021) and leading
leading to
to spatial
spatial relations that are still not negotiated.
relations that are still not negotiated.

Architecten
Figure 55.Architecten
Figure dede Vylder
Vylder Vinck
Vinck Taillieu,
Taillieu, PCPC Caritas,
Caritas, Melle,
Melle, Belgium,
Belgium, 2016.
2016. Courtesy
Courtesy of © of ©
Architecten de Vylder Vinck Taillieu.
Vinck Taillieu.

In aa similar
In similarway,
way,the
theInstitute forfor
Institute Forestry and and
Forestry Nature Research
Nature in Wageningen
Research (1994–
in Wageningen
98) by Behnisch Architekten (Figure 6) arranges building functions around
(1994–98) by Behnisch Architekten (Figure 6) arranges building functions around a system a system of
internal roofed gardens, conceived as spaces of different landscape qualities
of internal roofed gardens, conceived as spaces of different landscape qualities aimed at aimed at ad-
vancing thethe
advancing relations “between
relations people,
“between plants,plants,
people, light, air, space,
light, air,heat, andheat,
space, water”and(Reynolds
water”
2007, p. 549). By means of a glazed roof, planned to provide an optimal natural
(Reynolds 2007, p. 549). By means of a glazed roof, planned to provide an optimal natural illumination
and ventilation at the interior for the growth of plants, these landscaped spaces emerge as
illumination and ventilation at the interior for the growth of plants, these landscaped
“the major interior spatial events that establish the environmental and social construction
spaces emerge as “the major interior spatial events that establish the environmental and
concepts” (Ibid.). They are part of a broader green system that includes a series of raised
social construction concepts” (Ibid.). They are part of a broader green system that includes
green spaces at the periphery of the building and the existing greenbelts of the area, thereby
a series of raised green spaces at the periphery of the building and the existing greenbelts
reinforcing the ecological reasoning of the project.
of the area, thereby reinforcing the ecological reasoning of the project.
Such a continuous vegetated infrastructure is also one of the tools introduced by Ken
Such a continuous vegetated infrastructure is also one of the tools introduced by Ken
Yeang in his concept of the bioclimatic skyscraper where green corridors vertically spiral
Yeang in his concept of the bioclimatic skyscraper where green corridors vertically spiral
through the cross sections of the high-rise buildings to contribute to their environmental
through the cross sections of the high-rise buildings to contribute to their environmental
sustainability. At the bottom of the firm’s EDITT Tower competition project (Davey 1999)
sustainability. At the bottom of the firm’s EDITT Tower competition project (Davey 1999)
in Singapore (1998), it also serves as a promenade to connect the first six levels of the tower,
in Singapore (1998), it also serves as a promenade to connect the first six levels of the
tower, where retail and restaurant facilities are organized, thus reinterpreting the planted
sky courts of the top storeys as a circulation space.
Arts 2023, 12, 12 12 of 19

Arts 2023, 12, x FOR PEER REVIEW 13 of 20

Arts 2023, 12, x FOR PEER REVIEW where 13 of
retail and restaurant facilities are organized, thus reinterpreting the planted sky20
courts of the top storeys as a circulation space.

Figure 6. Behnisch Architekten, IBN—Institute for Forestry and Nature Research, Wageningen, The
Figure6.
6. Behnisch
Behnisch Architekten,
Architekten, IBN—Institute for
for Forestry
Forestry and
and Nature Research,
Research, Wageningen,
Wageningen,The
The
Figure
Netherlands, 1994–98. CourtesyIBN—Institute
of Behnisch Architekten. PhotoNature
by © Christian Kandzia.
Netherlands,1994–98.
Netherlands, 1994–98. Courtesy
CourtesyofofBehnisch
BehnischArchitekten.
Architekten.Photo
Photoby
by©©Christian
ChristianKandzia.
Kandzia.

Earlier projects, such as the Ford Foundation by Kevin Roche (1967) (Figure 7) and
Earlier projects,
Earlier projects, such
such as
as the
the Ford
Ford Foundation
Foundation by by Kevin
Kevin Roche
Roche (1967)
(1967) (Figure
(Figure 7)7) and
and
the Commerzbank Headquarters by Norman Foster + Partners (1997), have paved the way
theCommerzbank
the CommerzbankHeadquarters
Headquartersby byNorman
NormanFoster
Foster++ Partners
Partners(1997),
(1997),have
have paved
paved the
the way
way
for contemporary practices. Characterized by permeations and links between
forcontemporary
for contemporary practices.
practices. Characterized
Characterized by permeations
by permeations and links
and links between between
architectural
architectural and garden spaces rather than by boundaries and limits, they have shed a
architectural
and and garden
garden spaces spaces
rather than rather thanand
by boundaries by boundaries and limits,
limits, they have shed a they
fresh have shed
light on thea
fresh light on the entanglement between natural and architectural features. These
entanglement
fresh light on between natural and architectural
the entanglement features.
between natural These
and practices, targeted
architectural features. at aThese
‘rec-
practices, targeted at a ‘reconciliation’ of nature and man, allude to modernist fantasies of
onciliation’ of nature
practices, targeted atand man, allude toofmodernist
a ‘reconciliation’ nature and fantasies of ‘merging’
man, allude built and
to modernist natural
fantasies of
‘merging’ built and natural environments, of the immersion of the human body in the
environments,
‘merging’ builtofandthe natural
immersion of the human
environments, ofbody in the natural
the immersion setting.
of the human They highlight
body in the
natural
the setting.
relational They highlight
dimension the
of designthe relational
for relational dimension
sustainability, accordingof design for sustainability,
natural setting. They highlight dimension of to whichfor
design “what matters is
sustainability,
according
our to
relationship which
to natural“what matters
organisms is our relationship to natural organisms and
according to which “what mattersand is environments,
our relationshipnot the
to [equipment’s]
natural organismsusefulness,and
environments,
performance not
or not the [equipment’s]
affectations” in support usefulness, performance
of our increasingly or affectations”
regulated in
environments support
(Lee
environments, the [equipment’s] usefulness, performance or affectations” in support
of our
and increasingly
Holzheu 2011, regulated
p. 129). environments (Lee and Holzheu 2011, p. 129).
of our increasingly regulated environments (Lee and Holzheu 2011, p. 129).

Figure7.7.Kevin
Figure KevinRoche
RocheJohn
JohnDinkeloo
Dinkelooand
andAssociates,
Associates,Ford
FordFoundation Garden
Foundation Plan,
Garden New
Plan, York,
New USA,
York,
Figure
1967. 7. KevinofRoche
Courtesy © John
Kevin Dinkeloo
Roche John and Associates,
Dinkeloo and Ford Foundation Garden Plan, New York,
Associates.
USA, 1967. Courtesy of © Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates.
USA, 1967. Courtesy of © Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates.

This path of architectural design research draws, in fact, inspiration from the
This path of architectural design research draws, in fact, inspiration from the
inclusion of an enclosed and glazed or open and sheltered garden/green infrastructure in
inclusion of an enclosed and glazed or open and sheltered garden/green infrastructure in
Arts 2023, 12, x FOR PEER REVIEW 14 of 20
Arts 2023, 12, 12 13 of 19

the building program. In addition to the various possible enhancements of the

This path ofbehaviour
environmental architectural
of design research and
the building draws,thein biophilic
fact, inspiration from
benefits the inclusion
involved, this
of an enclosed
inclusion andinterpreted
can be glazed or open and
as an sheltered garden/green
augmented and inhabitable infrastructure
circulation,inhall,
the building
or semi-
program. In addition
public indoor space, to the various
fostering possible enhancements
a rethinking of the environmental
of the distribution and layout of behaviour
the given
of the building and
architectural typology.the biophilic benefits involved, this inclusion can be interpreted as
an augmented and inhabitable circulation, hall, or semi-public indoor space, fostering a
rethinking of the distribution
3.3. The Multiscalar Integration:and layout
From of theto
Decorative given
Urban architectural
Space typology.
TheMultiscalar
3.3. The third approach centers
Integration: around
From nature-based
Decorative to Urban additions
Space in the building exterior
across different scales, including the scale of the city. It is not limited to soil consumption
The third approach centers around nature-based additions in the building exterior
pruderies encompassing the idea of relocating, on the roof or the façade, the vegetated
across different scales, including the scale of the city. It is not limited to soil consumption
surface of the construction plot occupied by the new building or proposing planted
pruderies encompassing the idea of relocating, on the roof or the façade, the vegetated sur-
balconies as private accessory spaces to revisit the single-family housing sprawl in high
face of the construction plot occupied by the new building or proposing planted balconies
density contexts.
as private accessory spaces to revisit the single-family housing sprawl in high density
A particular emphasis is placed on the building envelope (liminal horizontal surface)
contexts.
as a Afield of experimentation
particular emphasis is placedinto the onintersection
the buildingbetween
envelopearchitecture and landscape,
(liminal horizontal surface)
building
as a fieldand city, in a way that
of experimentation intoaddresses issues ofbetween
the intersection social agency and participation.
architecture and landscape, The
proliferation of green surfaces, in all their manifold forms of expression,
building and city, in a way that addresses issues of social agency and participation. The points to the
“multinaturalization of the human environment,” employing augmented
proliferation of green surfaces, in all their manifold forms of expression, points to the stratified surfaces
that induce “a series
“multinaturalization of of
thegradations between natural
human environment,” and artificial
employing augmented capable of adjusting
stratified surfaces to
the intensity
that induce “aofseries
the urban field theybetween
of gradations are serving”
natural (Zaera-Polo 2008,
and artificial p. 84).of
capable The performative
adjusting to the
and affective role of these surfaces comes to the fore, as they
intensity of the urban field they are serving” (Zaera-Polo 2008, p. 84). The performative “qualify either asandan
atmosphere-inducer or as a ground-infrastructure” (Ibid.). Going beyond
affective role of these surfaces comes to the fore, as they “qualify either as an atmosphere- issues of form
so as to or
inducer become an additional, inhabitable
as a ground-infrastructure” fifth
(Ibid.). façade
Going beyondof the building,
issues green
of form so asroofs in the
to become
city emerge as symbolic devices of a socio-naturalistic approach to
an additional, inhabitable fifth façade of the building, green roofs in the city emerge as design (Ingersoll 2011).
For this
symbolic notion,
devices of awe may turn to recent
socio-naturalistic urbantoregeneration
approach design (Ingersollprojects such as Chartier
2011).
and Dalix’s
For this Lourcine
notion, weBarracks
may turnproject
to recent forurban
the University
regeneration of projects
Law faculty in Chartier
such as Paris (2019)
and
(FigureLourcine
Dalix’s 8) and Diller
Barracks Scofidio
project +forRenfro’s intervention
the University of Law in the Lincoln
faculty Center(Figure
in Paris (2019) for the 8)
Performing Arts (Hypar Pavilion and Lincoln Ristorante
and Diller Scofidio + Renfro’s intervention in the Lincoln Center for the Performing Artsin New York) (2010).
Encouraging
(Hypar Pavilionurban
and renewal, both projects
Lincoln Ristorante in New introduce the green
York) (2010). roof as urban
Encouraging an inhabitable
renewal,
space.projects
both Characterized
introduce bythesoft, continuous,
green roof as anfolded surfaces
inhabitable comprising
space. leafy or
Characterized bylawn
soft,
gardens, they
continuous, blur the
folded boundaries
surfaces comprising betweenleafyarchitectural,
or lawn gardens,landscape, and the
they blur urban features,
boundaries
oscillating
between between park
architectural, space and
landscape, andanurban
urban landmark.
features, The transformation
oscillating between parkof existing
space and
buildings
an partially into
urban landmark. The public green spaces
transformation ofprioritizes the socialpartially
existing buildings dimension intoofpublic
these spaces
green
over the
spaces functional
prioritizes qualities
the social of the of
dimension green
thesesurface (thermal
spaces over and acoustic
the functional insulation
qualities of the
green surface
properties). (thermal and acoustic insulation properties).

8. Chartier Dalix Architectes, Modernisation of the Lourcine Barracks for the University
Figure 8. University of
Law, Paris,
Law, Paris, France,
France, 2019.
2019. Courtesy
Courtesy of
of ©
© Chartier
Chartier Dalix
Dalix Architectes.
Architectes.
Arts 2023, 12, x FOR PEER REVIEW 15

Arts 2023, 12, 12 14 of 19

Several contemporary social housing design projects, such as the Moun

Dwellings in Copenhagen (Bjarke Ingels BIG, 2003–08) and the Via Verde in New
Several contemporary social housing design projects, such as the Mountain Dwellings
(Grimshaw, 2012) building complexes, as well as the Le Ray neighborhood in
in Copenhagen (Bjarke Ingels BIG, 2003–08) and the Via Verde in New York (Grimshaw,
(Maison
2012) Edouard
building François,
complexes, 2021)
as well (Figure
as the Le Ray 9), similarly deploy
neighborhood in Nice strong
(Maisonnatural
Edouardconnota
to enhance
François, 2021)social
(Figureengagement
9), similarlyand interaction
deploy to building
strong natural communities.
connotations to enhance These
social projec
beyond issues
engagement of environmental
and interaction to buildingefficiency
communities.in architecture
These projectsand address
go beyond psycholog
issues
of environmental efficiency in architecture and address psychological, physiological,
physiological, and social aspects of dwelling. Featuring stepped-up volumes and and
social aspects of dwelling. Featuring stepped-up volumes and large terraces with inte-
terraces with integrated green areas, in the first case, and of vertical vegetation in the wo
grated green areas, in the first case, and of vertical vegetation in the wooden scaffold-form
scaffold-form façade, in the latter example, these projects address the issue of urban de
façade, in the latter example, these projects address the issue of urban density through the
through theofaccentuation
accentuation of the
the experiential, experiential,
participatory participatory
character character
of outdoor of outdoor living sp
living spaces.

Figure 9. Maison Edouard François, Le Ray, Nice, France, 2021. Courtesy of © Maison Édouard
Figure 9. Maison Edouard François, Le Ray, Nice, France, 2021. Courtesy of © Maison Edouar
François and We are content(s).
François.
These design approaches are not new. Earlier projects that saw the incorporation of
These in
green spaces design approaches
the building exterior,are
suchnot new.
as Jean Earlier projects
Renaudie’s that saw
social housing the
project in incorporatio
Ivry-
green spaces
sur-Seine (1962) in the building
(Figure exterior,
10) and Emilio suchAcros
Ambasz’s as Jean Renaudie’s
building in Fukuokasocial
Cityhousing
(1995), proje
have been fundamental
Ivry-Sur-Seine (1962)to(Figure
challenging the boundaries
10) and between building
Emilio Ambasz’s and landscape
Acros building in Fukuoka
targeted at a socio-ecological transition through the promotion of new patterns of dwelling.
(1995), have been fundamental to challenging the boundaries between building
As Penelope Dean has suggested, Ambasz’s Green Town project (1992) belongs to initiatives
landscape targeted at a socio-ecological transition through the promotion of new pat
that “have begun to advance design speculations that not only address environmental
of dwelling.but
problematics, AsalsoPenelope Dean has
manage, furtively, suggested,
to deliver largerAmbasz’s
sociocultural Green Town
agendas” project (1
(Dean
belongs
2011, to Highlighting
p. 69). initiatives that
issues“have begun to
of engagement andadvance design
social agency speculations
in architecture, that not
these
addresspertain
projects environmental problematics,
to design visions that have notbut alsoaspired
merely manage, furtively,
“to mitigate to deliver la
a building’s
impact on natural
sociocultural systems,(Dean
agendas” but have sought,
2011, at Highlighting
p. 69). least rhetorically, to become
issues a part of and s
of engagement
those systems,” putting forward an important point for reflection as to whether natural
agency in architecture, these projects pertain to design visions that have not m
elements and resources can serve not merely as “a facilitator of developer logic but as a
aspired “to
conceptual mitigate
buffer a building’s
that disrupts impact relationships
and reimagines on natural systems, but have
between social sought, at
and biotic
rhetorically,
systems” toand
(Barber become a 2018).
Putalik part of those systems,” putting forward an important poin
reflection
This line asoftoresearch
whether natural architecture
interweaves elements and withresources
urban design canpointing
serve not merely a
to col-
laboration
facilitatorwithout boundaries
of developer in the
logic butquest
as aforconceptual
sustainability. It expands
buffer the concept
that disrupts andof reimag
subterranean
relationships architecture by providing
between social surfaces
and biotic that enlarge
systems” usable
(Barber andopen space,
Putalik reinter-
2018).
preting the search to go beyond the vertical stacking of hybrid functions in dense urban
This line of research interweaves architecture with urban design pointin
environments and tracing a possible path toward blending the private and the public
collaboration without boundaries in the quest for sustainability. It expands the conce
realm.
subterranean architecture by providing surfaces that enlarge usable open sp
reinterpreting the search to go beyond the vertical stacking of hybrid functions in d
urban environments and tracing a possible path toward blending the private and
public realm.
Arts 2023,12,
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x FOR PEER REVIEW 15 of 19
16 20

Figure 10.
Figure 10. Jean
Jean Renaudie,
Renaudie, Social
SocialHousing
HousingComplex,
Complex,Ivry-Sur-Seine,
Ivry-Sur-Seine,France,
France,1969–75. Photo
1969–75. by by
Photo © ©
GuilhemVellut
Guilhem Vellut(CC
(CCBY
BY2.0).
2.0).

4.
4. Discussion
Discussion
The
The three
three approaches
approaches shed shed light
light on
on how
how the the vision
vision of of aa seamless
seamless relation
relation between
between
nature and artifice, through the literal integration of the living material
nature and artifice, through the literal integration of the living material in architecture, in architecture, may
open up an innovative path in architectural design and research
may open up an innovative path in architectural design and research across different across different scales
and programmatic
scales and programmatic functions.functions.
They testify They to atestify
wide andto adeep wide variety
and of contemporary
deep variety of
interpretations
contemporary and applications and
interpretations of vegetation,
applications which of suggest
vegetation,an advancement
which suggest of tradi-
an
tional building typologies and tectonics, rooted deeper in modern
advancement of traditional building typologies and tectonics, rooted deeper in modern architectural history.
Nevertheless, if, in the Nevertheless,
architectural history. Modern movement if, in era, the fascination
the Modern movement of architects
era, thewith the green
fascination of
element was mainly aimed at a reconciliation of man with nature,
architects with the green element was mainly aimed at a reconciliation of man with nature, at a building background
and
at a symbolic
building object, today, and
background the need to examine
symbolic object,the ecological
today, the need functions of vegetation,
to examine in re-
the ecological
vising the relationship between building and the environment, go
functions of vegetation, in revising the relationship between building and the environment, beyond “an aesthetically
pleasing
go beyond form
“an ofaesthetically
green, akin to [an] ecological
pleasing form ofpicturesque”
green, akin to (Girot
[an] 2020, p. 79).picturesque”
ecological
Despite the
(Girot 2020, p. 79). instrumental classification, the selected projects are not univocal in their
use and relationship with nature, demonstrating, in reality, a broader
Despite the instrumental classification, the selected projects are not univocal in their understanding and
application of greenery’s performance, semantics, and usability
use and relationship with nature, demonstrating, in reality, a broader understanding and potential in design. They
give evidence of the fact that although greening processes in architecture represent a
application of greenery's performance, semantics, and usability potential in design. They
growing phenomenon, “there is no universal agreement as to what it means to ‘work
give evidence of the fact that although greening processes in architecture represent a
buildings into the cycle of nature’” (Forty 2000, p. 239). The integration of vegetation with
growing phenomenon, “there is no universal agreement as to what it means to ‘work
the built artifact assumes various forms that “continue to extend perceptions of the term”
buildings into the cycle of nature’” (Forty 2000, p. 239). The integration of vegetation with
(Dean 2011, p. 67), combining both representational-symbolic and performative-functional
the built artifact assumes various forms that “continue to extend perceptions of the term”
meanings, while calling for a renewal of the tools, processes, synergies, and skills inherent
(Dean 2011, p. 67), combining both representational-symbolic and performative-
to the design project. When applied to the design project, such integration introduces a new
functional meanings, while calling for a renewal of the tools, processes, synergies, and
dimension in the interaction between building and user with reference to the maintenance
skills inherent to the design project. When applied to the design project, such integration
and care of architectural vegetation. It entails a shift from visual perception to participation
introduces a new dimension in the interaction between building and user with reference
and social responsibility, implying an advancement of the role of the user. Conversely,
to the maintenance and care of architectural vegetation. It entails a shift from visual
the interaction between green architecture and the user incorporates aspects of health and
perception
human to participation
well-being, and social responsibility,
as “by assimilating green the builtimplying
environment an advancement
aspires to craftof the role
a body
of the
that user.
is ideal or atConversely,
least in good the interaction
health, apparently between green architecture
re-naturalized or better yet,and the user
embedded in
incorporates aspects of health
nature” (Zardini and Borasi 2012, p. 19). and human well-being, as “by assimilating green the built
environment
Accordingly, aspiressuchto an
craft a body that
approach is ideal
towards theorincorporation
at least in good of health,
nature apparently
into building re-
naturalized or better yet, embedded in nature” (Zardini and Borasi
implies a position towards “the two views of sustainability and ecology that are—rightly 2012, p. 19).
Accordingly, such
or not—increasingly andistinguished
being approach towards the incorporation
and opposed within a wider of nature
public into building
debate” (Van
impliesAlonso
Houte a position
2022,towards “thewhich
p. 135) and two views
involve of sustainability
technological and and maintenance
ecology that are—rightly
choices and
or not—increasingly
the natural illumination being distinguished
variable to allowand for opposed
a spontaneouswithingrowth
a widerof public debate”
the plants. It (Van
is in
fact less consistent with high-tech vegetation transformed and artificialized to exploitand
Houte Alonso 2022, p. 135) and which involve technological and maintenance choices its
the natural
benefits illumination
for the variable to
built environment andallow for a spontaneous
its inhabitants, although growth of thedemanding
frequently plants. It is in in
fact less consistent with high-tech vegetation transformed and artificialized to exploit its
Arts 2023, 12, 12 16 of 19

the operational phase the employment of resources and energy that unbalance the life-cycle
assessment. Rather, it entails the effort to include low-tech greenery not as a mere building
system or component but as a further occupant of the architectural space to culturally and
ecologically interact with as part of a larger ecosystem, consistent with a paradigm shift
that centers design on the environment as a whole rather than on humans alone. Given
that “the transformation of mineral urban walls into green facades or of recycled waste
and by-products into building materials” is not sufficient enough to pave the way for
ecological design practices but requires instead a “metamorphosis between man and nature”
(Moravánszky 2017, p. 212), we are prompted to coin new ecosystem definitions of which
the built artifact and anthropized environment form part.
In addition, the discussed integration demands, on the one hand, for further explo-
ration into the problem of architectural form, as this “cannot be deemed simply subservient
to, or the passive recipient of, the claims of an ethical horizon as it is delimited by current
environmental modalities” (Cohen and Naginski 2014, p. 4) connected to literal green
buildings. Greenery, introduced or interpreted in its full aesthetic potential, can generate
innovative design approaches, expanding on the definition of the architectural form: from
tectonic expression to ornamentation (Schumacher 2009). It influences an expanded defi-
nition of building performance after the incorporation of the living material not just as a
subsequently applied layer but as a constitutive, augmented component of the built struc-
ture. On the other hand, it leads to an expanded definition of sustainability aesthetics in
architecture, combining efficiency issues with experience and social demands. It can estab-
lish a dialogue and interaction with the inhabitants from the perspective of an augmented
perception, of the combined aesthetic and ethical message conveyed, of the health-inducing,
restorative as well as participatory actions. Finally, it can serve as an opportunity to rethink
architectural design in its relationship with nature as a whole; “green envelopes have now
been loaded with ecological value for an ecological strand of architecture” (Zaera-Polo and
Anderson 2021, p. 415), influencing new definitions of architectural ecologies.

5. Conclusions
We can claim that a thorough integration between vegetation and architecture may
open up innovative paths for architectural design and research, investigating the aesthetic
and functional potentials of newly conceived hybrids between natural, urban, and architec-
tural qualities.2 The manifold meanings of the literal green buildings, as opposed to the
incorporation of natural representations, suggest an increasingly symbiotic relationship
between urban and natural-sylvan qualities.
On the one hand, they redefine the built artifact as a pivotal interface between nature
and artifice, human and non-human organisms, mineral and organic matter. Design with
nature points to the emergence of “a third space, which is neither inside nor outside” and
in which the “multiple articulations between the city and the biosphere” are interpreted
“as positive capabilities” (Sassen 2016, p. 173). It draws attention to the fact that, although
architectural design mainly involves issues related to the physical and permanent aspects
of building, in the context of green architecture, the non-physical traits of space, such as
lighting, air, colour, and climate, come to the fore. As built surfaces and spaces evolve as
active ecosystems, these traits emerge as crucial aspects of the design project and benefit
further research.
On the other, in a context that sees the boundaries between natural and artificial
becoming blurred after the proliferation of biomimicry practices that envision buildings
with “lifelike properties” being “produced through applications of agentised materials
and living technology” (Armstrong 2019, pp. 57, 63), the need emerges to adopt a critical
and ethical stance towards greening processes in architecture. The literal green building,
therefore, entails repositioning the limits of the design project, after the consideration of
both quantitative and qualitative, expressive, and performative aspects, and issues of time
and timescale, with regard to the growth and maintenance of plants. It moreover involves
a revised understanding of the relationship between building and physical context, for
Arts 2023, 12, 12 17 of 19

specificities such as the local climate, the topography, and the weather assume a central
role. Finally, as the architectural project is increasingly called upon to address “an action
of mutual compenetration between subject and environment, body and space, life and
medium” (Coccia 2019, p. 37), the research into and speculation of the possible integration
of nature into the built environment appears to expand the boundaries of the design
disciplines, on the different scales involved, in order to include diverse competences, tools,
and processes.

Author Contributions: Authors have contributed equally to conceiving the study, acquiring data
and contributing content. L.D. has principally authored the Section 1 (Introduction) and Section 2
(Background), while S.K. the sections Section 3 (Contemporary modes of integration), Section 4
(Discussion) and Section 5 (Conclusions). Every effort has been made to obtain the permission of
copyright holders for the use of copyright material. All authors have read and agreed to the published
version of the manuscript.
Funding: This research received no external funding.
Data Availability Statement: Data sharing is not applicable; no new data were generated or analysed
in this study.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Notes
1 By adjusting spaces intended for the cultivation of non–native plant species to spaces fit for human habitation, hence promoting
the symbiosis between plants and humans, architects such as Joseph Paxton addressed openly the issue of environmental control
in architecture. See (Schoenefeldt 2008, pp. 283–94).
2 In the anticipatory context of the artistic installation, where architectural innovation and materials experimentations frequently
take place, the interrelation between space, body and nature has been a matter of central concern for contemporary artists
and architects alike: From Olafur Eliasson’s “The Mediated Motion” project (with Günther Vogt, 2001) to Peter Zumthor’s
Serpentine Pavilion (with Piet Oudolf, 2011), and from the Repair/Australian Pavilion (Baracco+Wright with Linda Tegg) at
the Venice Biennale 2018 to the “Breathe Austria” installation at Expo 2015 Milan (team.breath.Austria), different degrees of
cross-contamination between the natural and the built have been put forward and problematised.

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